Nancy Armour on the emotion for Maxim Trankov for winning gold: Maxim Trankov’s eyes are filled wih tears as he stands atop the medals podium. This has been a year of unbelievable emotion and pressure for him. Not only were he and partner Tatiana Volosozhar expected to restore the grand tradition of Russian pairs at the Olympics, but they had to do it in ront of a home crowd. Pressure can break you or make you amd it definitely did latter for him.

— Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy had every figure skating accolade, except for Olympic champion. The German team’s dream for gold fell apart quickly, as he fell on an early jump, and she fell on their final throw. With 136.14, they will get another bronze medal.

With just the Germans left, the Russians are guaranteed two medals. What colors will they be?

— Taking the ice after two Russian pairs in Sochi wasn’t easy, but Qing Pang and Jian Tong gave a memorable performance in what is expected to be the Chinese pairs last competitive skate. In a skate to music from “Les Miserables,” they did major throws and lifts. It was a beautiful way to leave the ice. With a score of 136.58, they are in third place, but that won’t likely last.

— Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov came in with a huge lead, but the Russian pair skated like they were coming from behind. Skating to “Jesus Christ, Superstar,” they had an emotional and thrilling skate. He let out a primal yell, and she began to cry when they were done, and for good reason. The score of 152.69 put them in first place, with just two pairs left to go.

— The Russian pair of Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov were outstanding, showing technical expertise, difficulty and a connection to the audience with their fun “Addams Family” skate. The unison and height on jumps was exactly what a skater wants. With a score 143.47, they moved into first place with a wide margin.

Gary Mihoces: Well, my question is answered. During the finger snapping part of The Addams Family move music, the Russian fans clapped along in unison. They were supporting the Russian pair of Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov.

— China’s Cheng Peng and Hao Zhang did a quad twist, the first time one was performed since 1988. However, falls by her on jumps didn’t help their quest for a medal. The score of 125.13 put them in fourth place.

— The Russian pair of Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov excited the homecrowd, but were sloppy. Their score of 129.94 put them in second, to the dismay of the fans in Sochi.

Nancy Armour on music problems: I have no problem with skaters using medleys. But make it a medley, not a mashup. Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch skated to what was billed as a Fellini medley. But the cuts were so uneven, so jarring, it made it hard to watch the program.

— At the conclusion of Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch’s skate, the Canadian woman jumped up and down. She had good reason to. They skated a bubbly and still difficult routine, scoring a 131.18, not just moving into first place but also beating out the Canadian team who they lost to at the Canadian championship.

— Canada’s Duhamel and Radford had an aggressive routine, but an early mistake threw them off the rails. She fell on a jump in a combination, and they lost unison in parts. The score of 127.32 put them in first place, but it isn’t a score that will hold up.

Gary Mihoces: Checking the planned programs, I see the Russian pair of Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov will be skating to the movie sound track of The Addams Family. Yep, that Addams family. Dying to find out if Russian fans will snap their fingers. Stolbova and Klimov were third after the short.

Halfway through the competition, the American pair of Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir are in first place. With eight teams left to go, they are guaranteed a spot no worse than ninth over. The top five:

— Maylin and Daniel Wende of Germany appeared to run out of gas for their free skate. There were several falls in a sloppy skate. A score of 107 put them in fifth place.

— Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres from France had a unique, difficult skate that didn’t go exactly as they wanted. She fell on their second of their side-by-side triple-triple combo, and they had an error on a twist. Still, it was the kind of skate that made viewers want to see more from them. They scored a 114.07, and are in second place behind Castelli and Shnapir.

Gary Mihoces: Though Marissa Castelli two-footed the landing on the throw triple salchow, she and Simon Shnapir combined for a season’s best score of 120.38 in the free and a season’s best 187.82 for the overall event. Watching the replay on the big screen, Castelli was oh so close to landing on that big throw. But close doesn’t count. They were 13th in the world last year. A top ten would be a win for them at the Olympics. Through six pairs, they’re in first. Ten to go.

— So close! Castelli and Shnapir did attempt the quad throw. She had a two-footed landing. The rest of the skate was lackluster, compared to their big performances in yesterday’s short program and their appearances in the team event.They were thrilled with a score of 120.38, which was a season best and put them in first place.

Nancy Armour: Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir say they’ll definitely try the throw quad salchow in tonight’s free skate. It’s been in their program all season and they say there’s no reason to change. They may not land it consistently, but if they do – or if she comes close – it’s worth a ton of points. They were ninth after the short program and are hoping to finish in the top 10.

Gary Mihoces: That’s a simulated shoulder holster Simon Shnapir is wearing to go with the James Bond music. He doesn’t carry a fake gun. But at the end of the free skate, he holds his hands together and points his index fingers to simulate a pistol. Hey, it’s 007.

— Italy’s Stefania Berton bruised her hip during the team competition, and the injury took its toll in her free skate with partner Ondrej Hotarek. She fell on their side-by-side triple salchows, and had a hard time returning to her feet. Their score of 115.51 put them into first place.

At the end of the first group, the U.S. team has held onto first place:

Gary Mihoces: It’s not all about the medals. It really isn’t. Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay just looked happy and after a free skate that produced a score of 110.31. It wasn’t their season’s best (112.59) But they did it at the Olympic Games. They’re young. She’s 20. He’s 24.

— The Italian pair of Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise fell early and often. They were scored just an 86.22 — just a few points better than the leading short program score. The Israeli pair of Andrea Davidovich and Evgeni Krasnopolski

Nancy Armour on Lawrence and Swiegers: I’m going to be having nightmares for weeks.

Paige Lawrence and Rudi Swiegers music – “Oz, the Great and Powerful” – was creepy enough. Remember those jewelry boxes that had the little ballerina inside and played a tune? It sounded like that, only evil and scary.

But it was made worse by the vacant look on Lawrence’s face. She looked like a doll. Or a member of the walking (skating?) dead.

— Canada’s team of Paige Lawrence and Rudi Swiegers did a skate that was apparently supposed to bring to mind a ballerina in a jewelry box, with music and facial expressions to match. However, it ended up being a little creepy. It also wasn’t clean, as she stumbled on a jump. They were scored a 161.98.

Gary Mihoces: Russia (and previously the Soviet Union) swept the gold medals in pairs in 12 consecutive Olympics until failed to win any medal at all in pairs at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

During that run of domination, Russia’s Irina Rodnina made three trips to the top of the Olympic podium in pairs. At this Olympics, Rodnina helped light the Olympic flame. That sparked controversy over a racist tweet on her account last year directed at U.S. President Barack Obama. She tweeted this week that her account was hacked. At the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, Rodnina teamed with Alexei Ulanov to win the gold. She won pairs golds with Alexander Zaitsev in the next two Olympics (1976 in Innsbruck, Austria and 1980 in Lake Place, N.Y.).

Amid a judging scandal at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, two golds were awarded to the Canadian duo of Jamie Sale and David Pelletier and the Russian pair of Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze. The Russian pair initially was awarded the gold, but the International Olympic Committee ultimately ordered two golds.

— Being the first team on the ice is never easy, but Zhang and Bartholomay managed to find plenty of energy for their skate set to songs from “Les Miserables.” It wasn’t perfect — her landings on both throws were sloppy — but it was an impressive display from a young, inexperience pair.

They scored 110.31, and as the first team to go, they are in first place.

Team USA’s Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay will kick things off at 10:45 ET. U.S. national champion Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir are in the next group.

“Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Gabby Douglas took part in her first workout with coach Liang Chow, the renowned leader of Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute, for the first time since last August. Douglas, who twice won gold at the London Games, had moved to California to be closer to family. She went through drills Monday with Chow.”